Fearless The King Series Book One - By Tawdra Kandle Page 0,74
it’s a funny coincidence that you two kids would be drawn together, given the history of your names.”
Marly tactfully changed the subject. “So, what did you do with your afternoon? I assume you didn’t hang out in the pumpkin patch.”
Michael made a face and we all laughed. “No, we took a picnic to the Christmas tree field and talked about Nell Massler.”
I was startled, since I had no idea he was going to be quite so honest with his parents.
Luke sighed. “Yes, that’s a very sad story. The whole family was essentially destroyed.”
That reminded me of a question I had meant to ask earlier. “Did Nell’s father ever pursue his political career?”
“No, after the incident with his wife, he knew it was all over. There was just too much uproar, not only locally, but across the whole region. No one would touch him, professionally speaking, after that.”
“What’s even sadder,” Marly put in, “is how he reacted to Nell after everything was over. It was like she reminded him of her mother… she does look very much like Alyse—that’s her mother. And so he’s pretty much left her to her own devices all these years. They had a nanny until Nell got too old to need one, but I imagine it must have been a very lonely existence.”
“She hasn’t helped much, the way she treats people,” Michael remarked.
“A little compassion, please, Michael,” his mother admonished. “I know Nell hasn’t been kind to you, Tas, and I’m sorry about that. But I try to remember that her life has been difficult. Maybe she’ll be able to come to terms with that as she gets older.”
“I was wondering,” I began, “whether… well, Michael said her mother was planning to harm this other woman using witchcraft. And if you believe in that, then I can see it being a threat. But if it isn’t real, then wouldn’t it have been pretty—I don’t know, harmless, in the long run?”
Luke nodded thoughtfully. “Well, she wasn’t exactly harmless. Apparently, she had a knife she planned to use on her victim. But the crux of the matter is how much what you believe affects your actions, I think. If Alyse was completely convinced that she had the power to pull off whatever she had planned, I’m not sure how harmless she would have been. I don’t know that I believe in witchcraft, but I do know that the power of the mind is quite strong. I don’t think that we’ve even begun to tap into its true potential.” He smiled at me, his eyes crinkling at the corners, and I wondered if he somehow suspected the power of my own mind. My mental block was so slippery these days anyway, that it would be easy to just take a little listen… but no, that would be wrong.
As if he realized what I was thinking, Michael squeezed my hand under the table. But when he spoke, he addressed his father. “Are you saying you might believe in witchcraft, Dad?”
It was Marly who answered. “Your father and I try to avoid some of the darker elements in King, you know, Michael. We won’t live in town. I knew that from the first time we came here to look at property. This nursery sits on land that was never part of King’s property. I don’t give a lot of credence to the rumors that go around town, but I also know there is far more to the world than meets the eye.”
I nodded in agreement.
My Sunday was wholly consumed with the dreaded shopping. My mother dragged me out of the house and to the mall before noon, and she had me trying on dresses of every style while she examined each with a critical eye.
“Too young,” she would proclaim. Or, with more urgency, “Too old!” Some were too long, others too short. I was getting worn out.
Finally, in the fifth store, she handed me a dress in the softest, silkiest material I’d ever touched. It was a deep green, and it shimmered as I dropped it over my head. The thin straps rested lightly on my shoulders, and the bodice draped loosely but tastefully. The skirt swirled to just below my knees, and as I stood in front of the mirror, I actually felt a stir of excitement when I considered wearing this dress to the dance.
“Oh, Tas! It’s beautiful. It’s perfect! Do you like it?” My mother was effusive in her pleasure when I stepped out of the dressing room